AMONG all the kings and queens there are a handful of larger-than-life characters who always stand out from the crowd.

'Private Lives Of The Monarchs' casts a light on the private lives of Europe’s royals

There is Victoria, the sour-faced and dowdy widow, George III who was barking mad and Henry VIII, who we have learned was a tyrannical, overweight womaniser.

Yet just when you think there is nothing more to discover about these great figures from history, a new documentary series promises to reveal what went on behind closed doors.

Private Lives Of The Monarchs on the Yesterday channel, which also includes the playboy Charles II and the Sun King Louis XIV of France, is presented by Tracy Borman, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

“Every servant had to keep very detailed records of their daily duties,” she says.

Victoria: the cast v the real-life royals

Victoria series 2: the cast v the real-life royals from Queen Victoria to Robert Peel.

● The Great Plague and Fire of London in the 1660s were regarded by Charles II as punishment for his immoral lifestyle.

He tried to redeem himself by remaining in London and putting himself among the people during these two disasters in his reign.

At the height of the fire he and his brother James joined efforts to fight the blaze.

● George III is best-known for the madness that blighted much of his life but in his youth he was a cultured man who loved studying botany.

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George III is best-known for the madness that blighted much of his life

● George III and his son, also called George, were like chalk and cheese and loathed one another.

Father was frugal and hardworking while son was a lazy spendthrift.

He became Prince Regent in 1811 – when George III was deposed by Parliament because of his declining mental state – and king from 1820 to 1830, but is considered to have been one of the worst rulers in our history.

● Louis XIV believed he was God’s representative on Earth and France was the centre of the universe, so took the sun as his moniker.

To raise cash he charged nobles to watch him sleep, eat and bathe – even building a platform over his bed to hold the adoring crowd.

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Louis XIV believed he was God’s representative on Earth and France was the centre of the universe

● The post of Groom of the Stool, attending to Henry VIII’s ablutions and cleaning him up, was highly sought after.

Nobles securing the job could look forward to becoming confidants of the king and being rewarded with gifts of titles and land.

● Although he came from a line of German kings, George III was desperate to be accepted by his adopted homeland.

So he lived the life of an English country squire, earning the nickname Farmer George.

● Queen Victoria was an avid diary keeper who over the course of her 81-year life wrote about 60 million words.

But many of her diaries were altered or destroyed after her death by her children to keep some of the racier details out of public view.

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Queen Victoria was an avid diary keeper

● Louis XIV is always depicted as a vain ruler and commissioned 300 portraits of himself.

But there was method in his vanity as he sent them to hang all over country, to reinforce his authority.

● When he was 29 years old in 1520 Henry VIII fought a wrestling match against King Francis I of France.

He suffered a humiliating defeat at the sporting extravaganza held near Calais, which was organised to promote international relations.

● George III, who came to the throne in October 1760 aged 22, was a creature of habit who went to Weymouth every year for his annual holiday, where he loved bathing.

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Henry VIII fought a wrestling match against King Francis I of France in 1520

● Charles II cut a glamorous figure but there was a seedy underbelly at his court.

He had at least 17 mistresses, resulting in sexually transmitted diseases.

He hid sores with a pubic wig known as a merkin.

His sexual prowess earned him the nickname Old Rowley – after his favourite stallion.

● Many portraits of Victoria in later life depict her as gloomy but in her youth she was a vivacious and witty flirt.

She is known to have enjoyed a steamy sex life with her husband Albert.

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King George III might have suffered from bipolar disorder

● When Charles II died suddenly in 1685 aged just 54 poisoning was suspected.

However, modern analysis of his symptoms suggest that he suffered kidney failure.

● The madness of King George III is widely believed to have been because of an inherited condition called porphyria but some historians claim he suffered from bipolar disorder triggered by the loss of the American colonies.

● Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry, has gone down in history as an ugly woman and was known as the Mare of Flanders.

But it is claimed her looks were exaggerated by spin doctors at the time to provide an excuse for the king’s impotency.

● Private Lives Of The Monarchs is on the Yesterday channel today at 9pm.